Method of and apparatus for separating minerals.



H. W. ALLEN-,

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING MINERALS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3. 1918.

1,301,532, Patented Apr. 22, 1919.

N MINI] [Wm M! MM H r 4 5 1 z I I I A 1 INVEN FDR.

HENRY W. ALLEN, OF EARLYSVILLE, VIRGINIA.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING MINERALS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 22, 1919.

Application filed-July 3, 1918. Serial No. 243,100.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that HENRY W. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Earlysville, in the county of Albemarle and State of Virginia, has invented a certain new and useful Method of and Apparatus for Separating Minerals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to an improved method. of and apparatus for recovering minerals, and. relates specifically to a process of separating mineral particles from the froth or foam employed in the so called flotation system to remove minerals from'the remainder of the ore, and to apparatus for effecting exploitation of the process.

The object of this invention is to provide an eflicient and simple method of separating the minerals from the froth or foam utilized in flotation to remove the minerals from the remainder of the ore, and to further provide simple, efficient and compact apparatus for exploiting the process commercially. A more specific ob ect is to provide a process and an apparatus whereby the mineral particles may be separated from the oil and wherein the separated oil is returned to its natural fluid condition without the use of acids, thereb permitting direct reutilization of the oil in the froth producing apparatus of the flotation system. These and other objects and advantages will be apparent from the description.

An example of one form of apparatus for commercially exploiting my invention is. shown in the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification, and in which the various parts are designated by suitable reference numerals.

'- Fignre 1 is .a top orlan view of the apparatus for automatically separating the mineral particles from the froth.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic sectional side elevation of the separating apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view .of the vacuum drum.

Fig.4is a longitudinal sectional viewo one of the heating rollers.

In the specific form of the apparatus which I have illustrated in the drawing, the

'main elements are the froth supply tank or basin 2, the froth remover 3, the continuous V or endless filtering medium 4, the froth p.'essing or disintegrating rolls or rollers 5.

the heating rolls or rollers 6, the vacuum drum 7, the mineral removing brushes 8, 45 and the mineral deposit box 9. The froth 32 is supplied to the basin 2 from froth forming apparatus of construction well known to those skilled in the art. The froth remover 3 consists of a pair of rollers 10 -rotatably 'mounted in bearings 28 secured to the walls of the basin 2, an endless'be'lt or band coacting with the rollers 10, and a plurallty of flights 27 secured to the endless band and adapted to skim the foam or.

frothofl' of the liquid in the basin 2.

The endless filtering medium 4 which may be a fine screen or gauze, coacts with end rollers 33, 40 and passes successively between the sets of rollers 5, 6 and in'contact with the. vacuum drum 7. The pressing device or rollers 5 are rotatably ,mounted in suitable bearings, being geared together by means of. spur gears 19, 20. These rollers 5 are preferably covered with rubber or some other liable substance and are mounted directly above a liquid catch basin 30 having a drain 34 leading to the froth forming apparatus. The heating rollers 6 are likewise rotatably mounted in suitable bearings, being geared together by means ofspur gears 21. These rollers 6 are provided with interior chambers 31 as shown in Fig.4, which chambers communicate with a source spe'nt heating medium through conduit. 4 The vacuum drum 7 shown in Fig. 3, coniprises an outer porous or perforated cylilidrical shell, an inner cylindrical shell 41,

and an intermediate cylindrical shell 42.

The outer and the intermediate shells are separated by is divided into four sections by means of radial partitions. The intermediate and inner shells 42, 41 are joined-by means of radial'pipes 37 which connect the annular chamber 38 with the interior of the inner shell 41. The outer, intermediate and inner shells are provided with end heads and are simultaneously rotatable about a stationary I hollow cylindrical casing 44 by means bf a 'motor 22 drivingly associated, with a spur an annular chamber 38. which.

car 23 secured to an end head of the drum The stationary casing 44is provided with a lower elongated opemng35 and has a cen- .tral hollow supporting shaft 26' mounted uponpedestals 29. The interior of the. shaft 26 communicates with the interior of the pumping device. The end head of the drum 7 remote from the gear 23, is provided with a pulley 15 which is drivingly connected with a pulley 14 on the shaft of one of the heating rollers 6 by means of a belt 18. The

pulley 14 is drivingly connected with a pulley 13 on the shaft of one of the pressingrollers 5 by means of a belt 17. The pulley 13 is drivmglyconnected with a pulley 12 on the shaft of one of the rollers 10 by means of a belt 16. It is of course not essential to utilize belts and pulleys to drivingly connect the various elements as any other driving means may be employed.

Engagement between the drum 7 and the filtering medium 4 is maintained by means of a series of rollers 39 mounted in suitable end bearings. A mineral removing device or brush 8 engages the periphery of the drum 7 while a similar device or brush 45 engages the medium 4 adjacent the mineral discharge box '9'.

During normal exploitation of the process, the froth is fed into the supply basin 2 from any suitable sourceand the apparatus is set in motion by operation of the motor 22. As

. the motor 22 revolves the drum? in an anticlockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2, the belts 18, 17 transmit this motion to the upper rollers 6, 5 respectively causing these rollers to rotate in like directions. The lower rollers 6, 5 being geared directly to thecorresponding upper rollers, are rotated reversely. The motion of the upper roller'5 is transmitted through the belt 16 to the adjacent roller 10 causing this roller 10 to rotate in an anti-clockwise direction. The

endless bands coacting with the various rollers are'thus caused to travel in the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2. The interiors of the rollers 6 are then supplied with heating medium and the shaft 26 is connected to the pumping device.

As the flights or scrapers 27 travel over the basin 2, they skim the froth 32 ofi of the liquid in the basin 2 and deposit the same upon the traveling filtering medium 4. The filtering medium 4 conveys the froth 32 between the pressing rollers 5, which disintegrate the froth bubbles expressing the liquid and depositing the residue upon the filtering medium 4. The liquid passes through the filtering medium 4 and flowsfi into the catch basin 30 from whence it flows back to the froth producing apparatus. for reutilization. The residues delivered from the pressing rollers 5 are next passed between the heating rollers 6 where they are dried by the application of heat. From the heating rollers 6, the residues are next passed along the periphery of the drum 7. Here air is drawn through the filtering medium 4 and through the layer of residue thereon, the air being drawn through the adjacent segment of the annular chamber 38, through the pipes 37, openings'35, 36 and interior of the shaft 26 and delivered to the vacuum pump. The residues are thus finally and thoroughly dried by the flow of air therethrough. As the filtering medium continues its course the dried particles of residue or mineral arede'posited by gravity into the collecting ,box 9. The particles of mineral which adhere to the drum 7 are brushed off by the brush 8. The particles of mineral which adhere to the filtering medium 4 are brushed oil by the brush 45. In this manner the mineral particles are effectively and automatically removed from the froth with the aid of very slight power consumption and within a limited floor space.

the length of the circumference of the support 44, and the medium 4 coacting with substantially a like portion of the periphery of the drum 7, causes practically all of the air sucked into the drum 7 to pass through the filtering medium 4.

It will be obvious that the apparatus may be altered within limits without affecting the efliciency thereof and of the method, and the present application is intended to cover obvious modifications within the scope of the claims.

' It is claimed and desired to protect by Letters Paten V 1. The method of separating pulverulent material from froth, which comprises disintegrating the froth bubbles to liberate the air and to*efl'ect 'drainage of liquid therefrom, and treating the remainin solid constituents to produce a dry owd cr by subjecting the same to a reduc pressure.

2. The method of separating pulverulent material-from froth, which comprises disintegrating the froth bubbles to liberate the air and to effect drainage of liquid therefrom, further drying the remaining solid constituents by heating, and finally treating the partially dried constituents to produce a dry powder by subjecting the same to a reduced pressure. p

3. The method of separating pulverulent ming the froth from a bath of liquid, disintegrating the froth bubbles to liberate the air and to effect drainage of liquid'therefrom, further drying the remaining solid constituents by heating and finally treating 'the partially dried constituents to produce a dry powder by subjecting the same to a reduced pressure.

vice, a movable filter band adapted to receive froth from said device, a froth disintegrator coacting with said band, a vacuum producing device coacting with said band, and means for positively removing dried pulverulent material from said band and grating, heating and vacuum producing devices coacting with said band in succession. 7. In combination, a froth supply device,

an endless filter band adapted to receive" froth from said device, disintegrating means,-'heating means, and vacuum produc- 5. In combination, a froth skimming de-i -for impartin ing means, said. means respectively wlth said band in succession.

8. In combination, a froth skimming device, an endless filter band adapted to receive froth from said device, a pair of discoacting integrating rolls coacting with said band, a

pair of heating rolls coacting with said band, and a vacuum drum coacting with said band. I

9. In combination, a froth skimming device, an endless filter band adjacent to said device, a disintegrating device coacting with said band, a vacuum producin device co acting with said band, and a single motor motion to all of said devices; 10. In com ination, va froth skimming device, an endless filter band adjacent to said device, a air of pressing rolls coacting with said band a pair of heating rolls coacting with said band, a vacuum drum coacting with said band, and a' single motor for transmittingmotion to all of said elements.

In testimon whereof, the signature of the inventor is a xed hereto,

HENRY w. ALLEN. 

